Yamas: The first of the eight
rungs (2.29) of Yoga is the five Yamas (2.30), which have to do with training your actions, speech, and thoughts
in relation to the external world, particularly with other people. They
include:

When you are not doing the
Yamas and Niyamas: When you are acting, speaking, or thinking against the Yamas and
Niyamas (2.33), the suggestion is to remind yourself that
such negative actions, speech, or thoughts are going in the wrong direction, and will bring you nothing but
unending misery (2.34). It can be as straightforward as silently repeating the
words to yourself, "Mind, this is not useful; this is going to bring
me nothing but more suffering, and lead me into greater ignorance of
truth." This simple practice is an extremely
important way to balance, purify, and train the mind (2.34).

27 varieties of negativity: Those
contrary actions, speech, or thoughts can be done by oneself, got done by
another, or merely approved of. They may be accompanied by anger, greed,
or delusion. They may be mild, medium, or intense. Thus, there are 27
combinations of these three triads (2.34). Awareness
and witnessing of these is a very useful part of discrimination, which is
the key to enlightenment (2.26-2.29).

Why practice the eight rungs?: One of
the most common principles that is missed is why one is practicing
these eight rungs. The reason for practicing the eight rungs is
discriminative knowledge, as described in the previous three sutras (2.26-2.29).

2.30
Non-injury or non-harming (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), abstention from
stealing (asteya), walking in awareness of the highest reality
(brahmacharya), and non-possessiveness or non-grasping with the senses
(aparigraha) are the five yamas, or codes of self-regulation or restraint,
and are the first of the eight steps of Yoga.
(ahimsa satya asteya brahmacharya aparigraha yama)

ahimsa = non-violence,
non-harming, non-injury

satya = truthfulness,
honesty

asteya = non-stealing,
abstention from theft

brahmacharya = walking in awareness of the highest reality,
continence, remembering the divine, practicing the presence of God

The five Yamas: The five Yamas are
considered codes of
restraint, abstinences, self-regulations, and involve our relationship
with the external world and other people (click the links to go to the
sutras dealing with the individual Yamas):

Building relationship
with the world: It should be self evident that having a good
relationship with the world and other people is imperative if we wish to
sit for meditation and experience the depths of Self-realization. The five
Yamas are a means of building that relationship.

Actions,
speech, and thoughts: It is easy to mistakenly lump these three
together, as if they are one concept. Actually, they are three separate
practices, which work together intimately. To cultivate self-awareness or
mindfulness of actions, speech, and thoughts as separate entities is very
important. Witness your actions as an independent practice, though
related to the others. Witness your speech as an independent
practice, though related to the others. Witness your thoughts as an
independent practice, though related to the others.

Actions: The first level of
self-awareness and self-regulation is that of actions in the external
world. Each of the Yamas are consciously cultivated at the level of actions.
By mindfulness and self-awareness, you see when your actions
are contrary to the Yamas, and you can counter that by noting that the
action is not useful (2.33, 2.34),
and acting more in line with the Yamas.

Speech: Self-awareness and
self-regulation of each of the Yamas are also consciously cultivated
at the level of speech. By mindfulness and self-awareness, you
see when your speech is contrary to the Yamas, and you can
counter that by noting that the speech is not useful (2.33,
2.34), and speaking more in line with the
Yamas.

Thoughts: The subtlest level of
self-awareness and self-regulation is that of thought in the
inner world. Each of the Yamas are consciously cultivated at the level
of thought. By mindfulness and self-awareness, you see when
your thoughts are contrary to the Yamas, and you can counter
that by noting that the thought is not useful (2.33,
2.34), and promoting positive thoughts that
are more in line with the Yamas. See the sections of the article Seven
Skills to Cultivate for Meditation, which deal with the witnessing
and training the thinking process.

Coloring or klishta:
It is extremely important to understand the subtler context of the
coloring (klishta, 2.3, 2.4)
involved with the Yamas. While we are surely wanting to practice the Yamas
in their more obvious worldly sense, the part that is ultimately most
important is the coloring or klishta qualities of the subtle mental
traces, or samskaras in the karmashaya (2.12),
as these form the veil (1.4) that
blocks the direct experience of the center of
consciousness (1.3). It is not
that "I" am violent or non-violent, truthful or non-truthful,
etc. Rather, it is the thought patterns deep in the basement of the mind (chitta),
which have been colored in some way (2.4).
These colorings are dealt with in their gross (2.1-2.9)
and subtle (2.10-2.11) levels.

Sense and mind: To understand not
only the gross, but also the subtle aspects of self-regulation through the
Yamas, it is necessary to also understand the nature of the senses and
mind in Yoga:

Senses: The senses (indriyas)
are of 10 kinds, five of which are means of expression (karmendriyas),
and five of which are means of cognition (jnanendriyas). These are
explained in the article on Training the Ten
Senses or Indriyas.

Witnessing your thoughts: A
separate article describes in greater detail the process of Witnessing
Your Thoughts. It may seem complicated at first, but there is a basic
simplicity that will reveal itself with practice. The benefits for
advancing in meditation are tremendous.

Foundation for meditation: The
better your relationship with the world and other people, and the more you
have lovingly trained yourself through the Yamas, then the
more naturally will come the other steps to meditation and higher
experience. The meditation can then, in turn, enhance the way you relate
with the world and with yourself. In this way, all of the rungs, or limbs
of Yoga work together.

2.31
These codes of self-regulation or restraint become a great vow when they
become universal and are not restricted by any consideration of the nature
of the kind of living being to whom one is related, nor in any place, time
or situation.
(jati desha kala samaya anavachchhinnah sarva-bhaumah maha-vratam)

Becoming versus stating a vow: Few
people are able to state these vows of the Yamas (2.30)
with one hundred percent conviction from the beginning. Therefore, one
starts from where he or she stands, living them to the degree possible.
Later, as sadhana (practices) evolve, they become a great vow when
they are universal in nature.

Becoming great vows through four
conditions: The five Yamas gradually become great vows as one
moves towards four conditions:

They are practiced universally in
relation to all beings of all types of birth, species, or states of
life.

They are practiced equally in all
places or spaces.

They are practiced continuously in all
times.

They are practiced uniformly among all
circumstances or situations.

Vows of actions, speech, and thought:
It is extremely important to understand that one may take a vow related to
action and speech, but that a vow of thinking might lead to suppression or
repression of thoughts and emotions. This is definitely not the path of
Yoga. If it were possible to truly make a vow to not have contrary
thinking, then there would be no need for the self-exploration described,
such as dealing with the gross (2.1-2.9)
or subtle (2.10-2.11) impressions. There
would also be no need for any instructions on what to do when one acts
contrary to the Yamas (2.33). One would simply make a
vow, and that would be it! The mind would be clear. However, that is not
the case. We live the Yamas (2.30) within our
capacity, and relentlessly do the inner work to clear the mind (1.2,
1.4), so that the Self underneath
may be come known (1.3).

Four aspects to the great vow: These
five forms of self-regulation, self-restraint, and self-exploration apply
in four ways, once they become universal:

Jati: In relation
to beings of any type of birth,
species, or state of life

2.32
Cleanliness and purity of body and mind (shaucha), an attitude of
contentment (santosha), ascesis or training of the senses (tapas),
self-study and reflection on sacred words (svadhyaya), and an attitude of
letting go into one's source (ishvarapranidhana) are the observances or
practices of self-training (niyamas), and are the second rung on the
ladder of Yoga.
(shaucha santosha tapah svadhyaya ishvarapranidhana niyamah)

Training body, mind, and
senses: It should be self evident that having a healthy body, clear
mind, and regulated senses is necessary if we wish to
sit for meditation and experience the depths of Self-realization. The five
Niyamas are a means for self-training in relation to body, senses, and
mind.

Actions,
speech, and thoughts: It is easy to mistakenly lump these three
together, as if they are one concept. Actually, they are three separate
practices, which work together intimately. To cultivate self-awareness or
mindfulness of actions, speech, and thoughts as separate entities is very
important. Witness your actions as an independent practice, though
related to the others. Witness your speech as an independent
practice, though related to the others. Witness your thoughts as an
independent practice, though related to the others.

Actions: At the same time that
one is aware of actions in the external world through practicing the
Yamas, he or she also becomes aware of the personal, inner processes
related to body, senses, and mind, by practice awareness of the
Niyamas. By mindfulness and self-awareness, you see when your actions
are contrary to the Niyamas (as well as the Yamas), and you can counter that by noting that the
action is not useful (2.33, 2.34),
and acting more in line with the Niyamas.

Speech: Through similar mindfulness and
self-awareness of speech in relation to the Niyamas, you
see when your speech is contrary to the Niyamas. This can also
be countered that by noting that the speech is not useful (2.33,
2.34), and speaking more in line with the
goals of the Niyamas.

Thoughts: The subtlest level of
self-awareness and self-regulation is that of thought in the
inner world. Each of the Niyamas are consciously practiced at the level
of thought. By mindfulness and self-awareness, you see when
your thoughts are contrary to the Niyamas, and you can counter
that by noting that the thought is not useful (2.33,
2.34), and promoting positive thoughts that
are more in line with the Niyamas. See the sections of the article Seven
Skills to Cultivate for Meditation, which deal with the witnessing
and training the thinking process.

Coloring or klishta:
It is extremely important to understand the subtler context of the
coloring (klishta, 2.3, 2.4)
involved with the Niyamas. What is ultimately most
important is the coloring or klishta qualities of the subtle mental
traces, or samskaras in the karmashaya (2.12),
as these form the veil (1.4) that
blocks the direct experience of the center of
consciousness (1.3). It is not
that "I am" an impure body, cluttered mind, or a sensory addict,
etc. Rather, it is the thought patterns deep in the basement of the mind (chitta),
which have been colored in some way (2.4),
which in turn affect the body, mental processing, and the sensory
attractions and aversions.
These colorings are dealt with in their gross (2.1-2.9)
and subtle (2.10-2.11) levels.

Sense and mind: To understand not
only the gross, but also the subtle aspects of self-training through the
Niyamas, it is necessary to also understand the nature of the senses and
mind in Yoga:

Senses: The senses (indriyas)
are of 10 kinds, five of which are means of expression (karmendriyas),
and five of which are means of cognition (jnanendriyas). These are
explained in the article on Training the Ten
Senses or Indriyas.

Witnessing your thoughts: A
separate article describes in greater detail the process of Witnessing
Your Thoughts. It may seem complicated at first, but there is a basic
simplicity that will reveal itself with practice. The benefits for
advancing in meditation are tremendous.

Foundation for meditation: The more you
have lovingly trained yourself through the Niyamas, then the
more naturally will come the other steps to meditation and higher
experience. The meditation can then, in turn, enhance the way you relate
with the world and with yourself. In this way, all of the rungs, or limbs
of Yoga work together.

Meaning of Ishvara: In the
Upanishads, the word Īśvara is used to denote a state of collective
consciousness. Thus, God is not a being that sits on a high pedestal beyond
the sun, moon, and stars; God is actually the state of Ultimate Reality. But
due to the lack of direct experience, God has been personified and given
various names and forms by religions throughout the ages. When one expands
one's individual consciousness to the Universal Consciousness, it is called
Self-realization, for the individual self has realized the unity of
diversity, the very underlying principle, or Universal Self, beneath all
forms and names. The great sages of the Upanishads avoid the confusions
related to conceptions of God and encourage students to be honest and
sincere in their quests for Self-realization. Upanishadic philosophy
provides various methods for unfolding higher levels of truth and helps
students to be able to unravel the mysteries of the individual and the
universe. (from Swami Rama in the section What God Is from Enlightenment
Without God)

2.33
When these codes of self-regulation or restraint (yamas) and observances
or practices of self-training (niyamas) are inhibited from being practiced
due to perverse, unwholesome, troublesome, or deviant thoughts, principles
in the opposite direction, or contrary thought should be cultivated.
(vitarka badhane pratipaksha bhavanam)

When you are not doing the
Yamas and Niyamas: What do you do
when you are not acting, speaking, or thinking in the way you know
you want, when not following the suggestions by the Yamas (2.30)
and
Niyamas (2.32)? For example, you want to practice ahimsa, which is non-harming.
But what do you do when you have a harmful, or angry attitude towards somebody
else? The suggestion is to go in the opposite direction, which means
reminding yourself to go away from that the anger. This is further
described in the next sutra (2.34).

What does opposite direction
mean?: When thinking of anger or hatred, for example, it can seem that
one should cultivate love, which is a good idea. However, you may
have noticed how hard it is to cultivate love for one with whom you are
intensely angry. The word
opposite is used here to suggest that rather than going into, or getting
caught up in that anger, we move away from it, in the opposite direction,
which is not quite the same as saying we should cultivate love.
Recall the foundation principle that consciousness wraps itself around the
thought patterns in the mind field (1.4),
and that this is the cause of suffering. When we unwrap our attention from
those thought patterns (1.2), we
rest in our true nature (1.3). This
is the meaning of moving in the opposite direction; it means moving
away from the entanglement of the negative. By moving away, we
naturally experience the love. While the example of ahimsa (non-injury)
and love were used here, the same principle applies to the other Yamas (2.30) and
Niyamas (2.32) as well.

When acting, speaking, or thinking
against your values: The Yamas and Niyamas give superb suggestions for
living and being. However, the most important suggestion is on what to do
when you are not acting, speaking, or thinking in the way you know
you want, when not following the suggestions by the Yamas and
Niyamas. For example, you want to practice ahimsa, which is non-harming.
But what do you actually do when you have angry emotions towards somebody
else?

Remind yourself, "This is not
useful": When you
know that your actions, speech, or thoughts are not what you want, the
suggestion is to repeatedly remind yourself that this anger (or other
example) is going in the wrong direction, and will bring you nothing but
unending misery. It can be as straightforward as silently repeating the
words to yourself, "Mind, this is not useful; this is going to bring
me nothing but more suffering, and lead me into greater ignorance of
truth. Mind, you need to let go of this."

Going in the right direction: This contrary training will gradually
lead the mind in the right direction. It is done gently and lovingly with
yourself; it is not suppression or repression of thoughts or emotions. This
is further described in the next sutra (2.34).

Use your determination: In Yoga
Sutra 1.20 there were five
foundation practices or attitudes suggested. These included cultivating
memory and mindfulness (smriti), developing the faith that you are going in
the right direction (shraddha), and committing the energy to go there (virya).
To maintain an awareness of this kind of faith and determination is an
important part of actually practicing and living the Yamas and Niyamas,
rather than having them drift into the back of the mind as mere data that
has been studied and then forgotten.

Opposites for the individual Yamas and
Niyamas: Each of the individual sutras for the five Yamas and five
Niyamas give guidance about cultivating the opposites:

2.34
Actions arising out of such negative thoughts are performed
directly by oneself, caused to be done through others, or approved of when
done by others. All of these may be preceded by, or performed through
anger, greed or delusion, and can be mild, moderate or intense in nature.
To remind oneself that these negative thoughts and actions are the causes
of unending misery and ignorance is the contrary thought, or principle in
the opposite direction that was recommended in the previous sutra.
(vitarkah himsadayah krita karita anumoditah lobha krodha moha purvakah
mridu madhya adhimatrah dukha ajnana ananta phala iti pratipaksha
bhavanam)

Two consequences: When acting,
speaking, or thinking in opposite directions from the Yamas (2.31)
and Niyamas (2.32),
as described in the sutra above (2.33), there are two
most undesirable consequences:

Infinite misery: When you feel
the effects from injuring others, dishonesty, stealing, uncontrolled
senses, and possessiveness, the misery, pain, suffering, and sorrow go
on and on. A vicious cycle is set up where the colored thought
patterns or samskaras of the karmashaya (2.12)
repeats itself, over and over. This is the meaning of infinite misery;
it doesn't stop; it just keeps recycling. To break this cycle of karma
(2.12-2.25) is a key point in Yoga.
To break the cycle first requires seeing clearly the fact that the
cycle tends to just keep repeating itself once it starts. To see a
situation clearly is a prerequisite to changing it.

Unending ignorance: When
repeatedly moving in the direction of injuring others, dishonesty,
stealing, uncontrolled senses, and possessiveness, which are away
from, opposite to, or contrary to the Yamas (2.30)
and Niyamas (2.32),
the mind becomes ever more clouded, not seeing the situation clearly.
As with the infinite misery mentioned above, there continues an
ignorance (2.5), a not-seeing,
which self-perpetuates without end. The ignorance of not seeing
clearly (2.5) feeds on itself,
and creates an ever more clouded mind (1.4),
which blocks the true Self (1.3).
To clear the clouded mind is the task
of Yoga.

What does opposite direction
mean?: When thinking of anger or hatred, for example, it can seem that
one should cultivate love, which is a good idea. However, you may
have noticed how hard it is to cultivate love for one with whom you are
intensely angry. The word
opposite is used here to suggest that rather than going into, or getting
caught up in that anger, we move away from it, in the opposite direction,
which is not quite the same as saying we should cultivate love.
Recall the foundation principle that consciousness wraps itself around the
thought patterns in the mind field (1.4),
and that this is the cause of suffering. When we unwrap our attention from
those thought patterns (1.2), we
rest in our true nature (1.3). This
is the meaning of moving in the opposite direction; it means moving
away from the entanglement of the negative. By moving away, we
naturally experience the love. While the example of ahimsa (non-injury)
and love were used here, the same principle applies to the other Yamas (2.30) and
Niyamas (2.32) as well.

The opposite of
hate is not love.
The opposite of hate is non-hate,
letting go, releasing of that hate.
Then, love naturally arises.

It's all about coloring or klishta:
This entire subject of cultivating opposites is the same as the process of
uncoloring the colored thought patterns,
the klishta vrittis. It means moving away from klishta (colored) to
aklishta (uncolored). This was described as a foundation practice of Yoga
(1.5), and was described at its
gross levels in the earlier sutras of chapter 2 (2.1-2.9),
and then in its subtler aspects in the next few sutras (2.10-2.11).
Breaking the subtle alliances of karma was then discussed (2.12-2.25).
This principle is extremely simple, yet can be extremely difficult to
comprehend initially.

Remind yourself, "This is not
useful": When you
know that your actions, speech, or thoughts are not what you want, the
suggestion is to repeatedly remind yourself that this anger (or other
example) is going in the wrong direction, and will bring you nothing but
unending misery. It can be as straightforward as silently repeating the
words to yourself, "Mind, this is not useful; this is going to bring
me nothing but more suffering, and lead me into greater ignorance of
truth. Mind, you need to let go of this."

27 types of negativity: In moving
against the Yamas (2.30) and
Niyamas (2.32), there are 27 different
varieties of negative actions, speech, or thoughts. It is very useful to
remain mindful of these, as this self-awareness is most important in being able
to train the mind in more positive and useful ways. There are three
dimensions, which when combined with one another, produce the 27
possibilities (3x3x3=27) of not-useful or negative actions, speech, and
thoughts:

3 doers of action: yourself,
recruiting another, or approving

3 mental states: anger, greed,
delusion

3 intensities: mild, moderate,
intense

Examples: Here are a few examples
of how these might interact:

You (yourself) may tell a little
(mild) lie to someone so as to get something that belongs to another
(asteya, non-stealing), but that you want for yourself (greed).

You may have your spouse (another
person) call your office to say you are sick (satya, truthfulness)
when you are (moderately) upset and dissatisfied (delusion) with your
boss or coworkers.

You may smile (approve) and feel great
(intense) satisfaction (with anger) when someone you dislike (ahimsa,
non-violence) gets a ticket from the police (done by another) for
driving too fast.

Being ever mindful: Being ever
mindful of these three dimensions, and their 27 combinations is very
useful in purifying and training the mind.

Being positive and joyful: Talking
about 27 ways of negative thinking can itself sound depressing (recall
that such obstacles naturally come, 1.30-1.32).
However, the more this kind of self-awareness is practiced, the easier it
becomes to focus on the positive, useful thoughts and emotions. Joy more
naturally comes, as the many antics of the mind are increasingly seen to
be nothing but humorous.

Three ways of negative actions:
There are only three ways in which negative actions operating against the Yamas (2.30) and
Niyamas (2.32)
can play out:

Doing it yourself: You can
carry out that negative action yourself, acting in ways that are
contrary to the principles such as those suggested in the Yamas (2.30) and
Niyamas (2.32).

Recruiting another person: You
can get some other person to carry out the action for you, either with
or without the knowledge of anybody else. This sometimes provides a
false sense of not being responsible for the action.

Approving of another person's
action: You can simply wait for some other person to carry out a
negative action of which you approve. This is like feeling happiness
when some perceived enemy gets the consequences you think he or she
deserves.

Effects of all three are the same:
Whether you do it yourself, have somebody else do it, or only approve of
it, the internal consequences of these negative actions are the same. In
all three cases, the coloring (klishta, 2.3)
of your deep impressions or samskaras is the same. You bear the burden of
that coloring for future karmas to play out.

Three mental states: In moving
against the Yamas (2.30) and
Niyamas (2.32), there are three associated
mental states. The three are unique directions, and are important to be
aware of and witness in oneself. Anger is symptomatic of pushing against;
greed is symptomatic of pulling towards; and delusion is a confused state
of mind. To be ever mindful in a non-obsessive way of these three
possibilities is very useful.

Anger: Anger is symptomatic of
pushing against, or of aversion (dvesha), one of the five kleshas (2.3).
Pushing against or aversion is one of two directions, the other of
which is pulling towards. Notice in the article on karma
and its sources that unfulfilled
desires lead to anger and related emotions.

Greed: Greed is symptomatic of
pulling towards, or of attraction (raga), another of the five kleshas
(2.3). Pulling towards or
attraction is one of two directions, the other of which is pushing
against. Notice in the article on karma and its
sources that fulfilled desires
lead to greed and related emotions.

Delusion: Delusion is a general
state of mind that might also accompany the negative actions, speech,
and thoughts that run contrary to the Yamas and Niyamas (2.33).

Three intensities: The three
intensities are known purely subjectively, and are relatively easy to see
with practice:

Mild: Those not-useful
tendencies opposed to the Yamas and Niyamas (2.33), which are mild
can be minimized or attenuated through meditation, as described in
sutra 2.11, eventually using
the razor-sharp discrimination of samyama (3.4-3.6).
There may be a temptation to disregard these tendencies because they
are mild. However, getting such thoughts to a mild state so that
they can then be further reduced in meditation is an important part of
the process of breaking the alliance of karma (2.12-2.25).
For mild tendencies, it is extremely useful to remind oneself how the
tendency is not-useful, as described above in sutra 2.33.

Moderate: Those negative or
not-useful tendencies opposed to the Yamas and Niyamas (2.33),
which are mild can be dealt with somewhat as with the mild
tendencies, and somewhat as with the intense tendencies. It is
important to note that one desires to bring the moderate
tendencies down to the mild tendency, so that these might be
dealt with in the inner chamber of meditation.

Intense: Those not-useful or
negative tendencies, which are intense might be very difficult
to attenuate through meditation alone, although it might be possible
with intense dedication and determination. Most often, people find
themselves in an internal mental fight when trying to deal with the intense
tendencies during meditation. What is more available and extremely
useful for most people is to frequently remind oneself how the
tendency is not-useful, as described above in sutra 2.33.
It is also very useful to practice the means of stabilizing and
clearing the mind as described in sutras 1.30-1.32
and 1.33-1.39, particularly making
the mind one-pointed as described in sutra 1.32.
The practices of kriya yoga, described in sutras 2.1-2.9
should also be practiced.

Actions, speech, and thoughts: The
27 types of negativity can involve actions, speech, or thoughts, or some
combination of them. One needs to be ever vigilant of these in daily life
and at meditation time. This vigilant self-awareness is done not with
obsessiveness, guilt or self-condemnation, but with gentleness,
acceptance, and love towards oneself.

This site is devoted to
presenting the ancient Self-Realization path of
the Tradition of the Himalayan masters in simple, understandable and
beneficial ways, while not compromising quality or depth. The goal of
our sadhana or practices is the highest
Joy that comes from the Realization in direct experience of the
center of consciousness, the Self, the Atman or Purusha, which is
one and the same with the Absolute Reality.
This Self-Realization comes through Yoga meditation of the Yoga
Sutras, the contemplative insight of Advaita Vedanta, and the
intense devotion of Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra, the three of which
complement one another like fingers on a hand.
We employ the classical approaches of Raja, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti
Yoga, as well as Hatha, Kriya, Kundalini, Laya, Mantra, Nada, Siddha,
and Tantra Yoga. Meditation, contemplation, mantra and prayer
finally converge into a unified force directed towards the final
stage, piercing the pearl of wisdom called bindu, leading to the
Absolute.